1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method through which a high-resolution digital color image with high image quality is generated.
2. Description of Related Art
Color artifacts are bound to occur following color interpolation processing on color image data obtained by spatially sampling color components with a single-plate color image sensor or the like. International Publication WO 02/060186 discloses a method for adaptively eliminating color artifacts manifesting in such color image data without destroying the image structure and, more particularly, the color structure represented by the color image data (invented by the inventor of the present invention). In this method, color artifact elimination is executed to a greater extent in an achromatic area and is executed to a lesser extent in a chromatic area based upon the results of a color judgment executed by using a color index calculated based upon color difference signals.